Karimnagar cops come clean on arrest of Naxal Leader

HYDERABAD: Almost 36 hours after Naxal sympathisers alleged that the police had arrested CPI-ML (Janasakthi) central committee secretary Kura Rajaiah alias Rajanna, the Karimnagar police confirmed the arrest of the top Naxal leader and four others.

Karimnagar superintendent of DS Chouhan told mediapersons in the evening that Rajanna and four others were arrested at Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh on Aug 31. They were produced in Metpalli court late in the night.

Interestingly, Home Minister K Jana Reddy told representatives of several people’s organisations here yesterday that Rajanna was not in police custody though they insisted that Rajanna and four others were in police custody and even filed a habeas corpus petition was filed in the High Court.

The SP said that a police team had been sent to Barabanki on specific information which led to the arrest of the five Naxalites. A .32 pistol, ammunition, Rs 3 lakh in cash and explosives were seized from them.

Chouhan claimed that the arrested Naxalites, while being brought to Karimnagar, assaulted the police party at Venkatraopet near Metpalli late last night. However, they were overpowered and handed over to the Metpalli police late last night.

Rajanna, an engineering graduate from Osmania University, had joined the Naxal movement in 1974.

During his over three-decade-long underground life Rajanna was never arrested by the police. A native of Vemulawada in Karimnagar district, Rajanna was wanted in several cases by the police.

Amar, who represented Janaskathi in the peace talks with the government, is the brother of Rajanna whose wife died in an encounter in 1999.

Yesterday, the home minister had denied that Rajanna was in police Custody.